JEN KELLER ART

I'm still plugging along on the educational book, Explore Native Americans! for Nomad Press.  I recently finished the 2nd & 3rd Chapters covering Native American Tribes for both the American Southeast, Southwest, and Mesoamerica. Typical Seminole Housing: Chickee Adobe Pueblo Housing of the Southwestern Tribes (Hopi & Zuni)  Much like the first few chapters, I continue to learn more about Native Americans.  Things that are vaguely familiar to me about these regions become much more concrete and certain elements are completely new to me, like the game of Chunkey played by the Natives of the American Southeast. Boys from southeastern tribes playing "Chunkey" So here is a small sampling of these two chapters covering numerous tribes like Cherokee, Seminole, Hopi, Zuni, Navaho, Mayan, and many, many more... Cherokee Tribal Council House Representing the Seven Clans Ancient Southwestern Cliff Dwelling ( Mesa Verde ) Navaho Medicine...

Memorial Day holiday weekend always marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer! In order to celebrate the coming months I thought I'd share my most recent wedding invitation with custom artwork done for a private client. Wishing everyone a fantastic summer full of fun, love, and everything in between...!

So I was planning on doing a post this morning about some of my new work, but it just didn't seem right considering the events that have recently transpired.  Maurice Sendak, one of the most influential writer/illustrators of the childrens literature world, passed away today. Maurice Sendak: 1928 - 2012 I don't believe I need to list a catalogue of great things Maurice Sendak did, because if you are reading this you undoubtedly are already a fan, or at least know of his work.  Mr. Sendak was nothing if not cutting edge, dark, with a twist of lighthearted fun.  In a portfolio review I had at my first SCBWI conference a book designer from Simon & Schuster told me that elements of my work had a darkness to it.  She went on to say that Maurice Sendak had recently given a talk and believed that this was an element missing from current picture books. Children liked to be scared and know at the end that they will be okay.  I was so flattered by this...

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend a horse clinic run by world class horseman and clinician, Buck Brannaman.  For anybody out there who hasn't heard of Buck, you should get yourself in front of a TV and watch the 2011 documentary made about him.  You don't have to be a horse lover to appreciate it, it's more about being human than anything.  Here's a little taste.... That being said - I'm sure you're wondering - what does this have to do with your artwork? Well, I truly believe that inspiration comes from all sorts of different places and this week my inspiration happens to come from a cowboy and the four legged friends he helps.  I came to the clinic armed with my sketchpad and prismacolors - ready to tackle some animal life drawing and to continue to hone my equine drawing skills (along with absorbing as much horseman knowledge that I could).  I love horses and have been riding for awhile, but I'...

Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post....! Time does certainly fly. Well, despite the fact that I haven't posted lately, I have been staying out of trouble and keeping busy :-). In between deadlines for my current educational project and a few pieces for some private clients, I am also working on my writing. One of my motivational projects happens to include being a participant in the 12 x 12 in 2012 Project. Hosted by blogger, Julie Hedlund , the challenge is to complete a brand new picture book draft for each month of 2012. It's a little daunting, but there is a supportive Facebook Group with access to so much information my brain nearly explodes every time I log on! Along with my fabulous local critique group, this challenge has really kept me sharp and prevented me from letting all of those sparks and concepts from just fading into the sunset. In addition to this truly global project, I have given myself a personal goal - characte...

I just finished my first batch of black & white pieces for the new book in the EXPLORE! series with Nomad Press about Native Americans. I have to say the one thing I'm loving about working in educational illustration is the fact that I'm actually learning, too! This first batch includes the title page, the introduction and first chapter about the Northeast Woodland Native Americans. Every bit of this subject is so interesting I find myself diving so far into the research end of the process that it's hard to come back out! So here's a little taste of the more than 20 illustrations I've done so far for the book. The art director had mentioned they really liked the black & white line work on my website, but the book called for a greyscale look. Since I prefer painting over working digitally, I just added a little shading with some light washes to create the needed look. This is only the beginning...there are 5 more chapters to go!